JPS61229577A - thermal transfer printer - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to thermal transfer printers, and particularly relates to a technology for checking the alignment of ink ribbons when printing is performed using ink ribbons divided into multiple stages.

[Background of the invention] ・ □ Conventional - The ink ribbon used in thermal transfer printers is
- If printed twice, the ink portion is transferred, so it cannot be reused and has the drawback of high running costs. On the other hand, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, as described in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 58-194042, a printer is provided with a mechanism for reversing the drive direction of the thermal transfer ribbon and a mechanism for vertically moving the thermal head. An example is known in which two tracks are used for reciprocating printing. However, this example requires a mechanism for moving the head up and down and a mechanism for reversing the driving direction of the ink ribbon, resulting in a complicated structure. In addition, in this method, since reciprocating printing is required, the ink ribbon travel distance must be the same during forward and return times.Therefore, during the printing of the - line, there is no need for blank printing.
Even if there is, it becomes impossible to stop the ribbon running, which is disadvantageous in terms of the amount of ribbon saved. .

Therefore, the printer itself has no control over the ribbon drive direction.

If we adopt a method that allows printing on two layers of ribbon, just by reversing the ribbon cassette, without installing a reversing mechanism or a device for moving the head up and down, the printer itself will be able to print on the top and bottom of the ribbon instead of using the conventional unidirectional printing method. The usable length of the ink ribbon can be compared to that of the conventional method, and it can be used for running at the knee f-.

This will greatly contribute to lowering costs. However, when printing on the same ribbon in two rows above and below, or in multiple rows, it becomes a big problem to wind the ribbon correctly or in a single row. I can't find any literature that mentions branching techniques for doing so.

″, ・ [Object of the invention] ′ □ ゛
.

The purpose of the present invention is 1? In realizing a configuration in which the ink ribbon is divided into upper and lower two stages or multiple stages for printing, the biggest problems such as unstable running of the ink ribbon, misaligned winding, and inability to wind the ribbon have been solved. Our goal is to provide thermal transfer/linking with low running costs, which is one of the biggest benefits for users.

[Summary of the invention]

,,: Thermal transfer printers of the past use the center of the width of the ink ribbon to print. On the other hand, if a configuration is adopted in which one ink ribbon is printed in two upper and lower stages or in a plurality of stages in order to reduce the running cost i of the ink ribbon, the following technical problems arise.
・In contrast to the conventional method of printing at the center of the width of the ink ribbon, in upper-level printing or multi-level printing, the width center of the ribbon does not match the printing center.
Therefore, the stress distribution □ acting on the ribbon surface while the ribbon is running differs above and below □yit>, and as a result, a phenomenon occurs in which the ribbon rises upward or falls in the head 1 portion. This phenomenon can be explained using Figures 3 to 7-5.
Figure 3 is a side view of the platen in the axial direction 5 and the direction perpendicular to itself, showing the relationship between the ribbon position and the printing position of the bevel 2 and do. It shows. Transfer paper 2
A thermal head 3 is pressed perpendicularly to a rubber platen roller 1 wrapped with a rubber platen roller 1 via an ink ribbon 4. As a result, the width P of the contact portion with the heat-sensitive pad 3 formed on the surface of the platen roller 1 is made slightly larger than the width H of the heating resistor 3'a on the heat-sensitive head 3. , head pressing force, platen rubber hardness, head width, etc. are generally set. Next, the ribbon width R is set so that the ink ribbon 4 can be divided into two upper and lower stages for printing. This figure shows an example in which only the upper half of the ink ribbon 4 is used for transfer. ink ribbon 4
After transferring the upper half of the ribbon cassette 5,
・The paper is turned over and the remaining half (unused part) is transferred. Therefore, Ill of the ink ribbon 4 and the printing center are shifted by All as shown in the figure.

Figure 4 is a side view of the thermal head seen from the back, showing how the thermal head 3 transfers using the upper half of the ink ribbon 4 while moving in the direction of the arrow (to the right in the figure). is schematically shown.

In this figure, the shaded area indicates the unused area, and the white area indicates the area where the ink has drained after transfer. is shown in Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, the thermal head 3 presses only the upper part of the ink ribbon 4 (the shaded part in the figure) against the platen row. A winding tension T0 is applied to the ribbon 4 in the direction of the arrow '' by the winding of the ribbon winding rear 6 in the ribbon cassette.

At the same time, in the opposite direction, the thermal head 3
A tension force T is applied from the back tension applying section 9 to make the ribbon run stably. This tension T
, ゛ and T try to act uniformly and equally distributed over the entire width of the ribbon width R', whereas the head's ribbon pressing position is biased upward, so the ribbon tension The distribution becomes non-uniform as shown by the arrows, and the tension acting on the lower side of the ribbon is greater than the tension acting on the upper side. That is, in the head section, a force W is generated that tends to push the ribbon downward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the ink ribbon 4 is pushed down in the thermal head 3 section. become. Here, since the ink and ribbon 4 are generally composed of an extremely thin base film with a thickness of about 4 to 8 μm, the ink ribbon itself has no rigidity. The ink ribbon 4, which was moved out of position,
The ribbon does not have the ability to correct its position by itself, and ends up being wound up by the ribbon winding recoa 6 while hanging downward.

As described above, when the ribbon is wound up while hanging down, the ink ribbon 4 wound around the first winding core 6 becomes misaligned as shown in FIG. in contact with the inner wall of

This causes a problem in which the ribbon cannot be wound.

The example explained above is about the ribbon falling phenomenon that occurs in the head section when printing on the upper half of the ribbon, but on the other hand, when printing on the lower half of the ribbon, Needless to say, the rising and falling phenomenon occurs and similar problems occur.

The above-mentioned rising and falling phenomenon of the adhesive ribbon causes problems other than the inability to wind the ribbon, as will be explained below. In other words, when printing on one ribbon by dividing it into two layers (upper and lower) or into multiple layers, the ribbon position and width are lower than when printing using the center of the width of the ribbon.
There is little margin for vertical misalignment, so if the head rises or falls, the ribbon may come off from the heating resistor on the thermal head.
Or, because the ink has already been transferred on one side, the heating resistor will be located on the transfer mark where the ink has fallen off, causing a fatal defect of missing print.

As described in detail above, in order to reduce running costs, it is possible to realize a configuration in which sync ribbons are printed in two or more upper and lower stages or in multiple stages.

It is an essential condition to prevent the rise and fall of the ribbon.The present invention was made based on the following ideas in order to solve the above problems. It is something. In other words, as mentioned above,
The rise and fall phenomenon of the ribbon at the head section occurs because the head presses the ribbon only on the upper side or only on the lower side with respect to the center of its width. From □, as shown in Figure 8, when the diagonal part of the ribbon is pressed in the upper printing, it is sufficient to simultaneously press and remove the lower part of the ribbon. With this structure, the in-plane tension distribution of the ribbon ribbon becomes approximately equal above and below the center of one ribbon, as shown by the arrows in Figure 8, and therefore, it is possible to prevent the ribbon from rising, rising, or falling. 0 The present invention aims at realizing two-stage printing or multi-stage printing using the ribbon, using such a configuration. [Embodiments of the invention]
``Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 9, which shows an external view of the heat/transfer presitter of this embodiment, there is a space between the side plate 10 and the side plate 117.
The shaft 12 is fixed. Further, a carriage 13 is arranged so as to be able to slide on the shaft 12, and a ribbon cassette 5 and a heat-sensitive heating pad 3 are mounted on the carriage 13.
In the ribbon cassette 5.

An ink ribbon 4 is stored.

The carriage 13 is configured to be movable in the left-right direction in FIG. 1 via a timing belt 1-5 by a carriage motor 14. A line feed motor 16 transmits driving force to a gear 1'7 connected to the shaft of the platen roller 1, and feeds the transfer paper 2. : Paper can also be fed in the same way by rotating the platen roller 18 by hand.

19 is paper/guide.

By moving the "Release" lever 20 forward and backward, the paper pressing roller 22, which is slidably arranged on the shaft 21, can be pressed against or separated from one sheet of paper.
It has a structure that allows 23 is a home position sensor, and 24 is a flange for energizing the thermal head 3, etc.
It is a cable.

This print link is of a unidirectional printing type that prints only when the carriage 13 moves to the right.
When moving in the direction, wind up the ink ribbon 4 1,
This printer does not wind up the ink ribbon 4 when moving to the left. In addition, the carriage motor 14
．． Line feed motor 16° home position sensor 23. Thermal head 3. and a ribbon sensor (not shown) that records the end of the ribbon, etc.
controlled by. shall be taken as a thing.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the internal structure of the ribbon cassette of this embodiment, and is a plan view seen from above with the sea urchin case of the cassette removed. Also.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line A-AIII' in FIG. 10. In FIG.

(not shown), etc., to form a hollow case. Inside the case, there are pack tension adding parts 9 and 36 that apply constant back tension to the ink ribbon 4 and the print ribbon 4. It has been incorporated.

Furthermore, the cassette sea urchin case 7 and the cassette seat case 8 are provided with cutouts X and Y for insertion of the thermal head 3 mounted on the carriage 13. 6 is a ribbon winding recoa.

'A plurality of ribbon winding recore protrusions 6a provided on the inner periphery engage with a ribbon winding shaft provided on the carriage 13, which will be described later, when the entire ribbon cassette 5 is mounted on the carriage 13. It has become.

This ribbon cassette 5 is configured to support upper and lower printing of the ink ribbon 4.

When the cassette is mounted on the carriage 13, only the upper half of the ink ribbon 4 is used for printing. That is, when only the upper half of the unused transfer film of the ink ribbon 4 wound around the ribbon exit core 26 is transferred, and the whole of the unused transfer film is taken up by the ribbon winding recoa 6, the entire ribbon cassette 5 is transferred. Turn it upside down and reinstall it on the carriage □・1゛3.

Therefore, before the ribbon cassette 5 is reversed, the ink ribbon 4
The untransferred portion located in the lower half of the image is now located on the upper side due to reversal, so that it is possible to transfer to this portion. At the same time, the ribbon winding ribbon 4, which was used for winding the ribbon 4 before one reversal, is used as the ribbon exit core 26 by one reversal. On the other hand, the ribbon delivery core 26, which was used for sending out the ribbon before reversal, is used as the ribbon winding coil 76 after one reversal, and the carriage 13 glue: the i- Therefore, the ribbon winding recoa 6 and the ribbon delivery core 26 are set to have the same shape. The ribbon winding recore 6 and the ribbon delivery bore 26 are arranged as shown in FIG.
= force, between the boss part 8a provided on the set case 8 and the boss part 7a provided on the cassette case 7-.
It has a poisonous structure that supports the ribbon cassette 5 by sandwiching it at small intervals.
．． Care has been taken to ensure that the position of 26. does not shift vertically. 27 is a screw hole for fastening the cassette sea urchin case 77 to the cassette seat case 8. Reference numeral 28 is a peephole for viewing the remaining amount of the ribbon and the transfer film wound around the delivery core 26.

Reference numerals 29 and 30 are guide rollers disposed on the traveling path of the ink ribbon 4, which are used to determine the position of the ribbon traveling and the path, and to reduce running resistance when the ribbon travels. The rollers 29 and 30 are provided at approximately symmetrical positions for reversing the ribbon cassette 5. '31 is a sensor insertion hole through which the ribbon sensor 32 is inserted into the ribbon cassette 5.

, this ribbon sensor 3.2 is mounted on the carriage 13, and is used to detect when the unbalanced feed ribbon is missing, or when the ribbon comes off from the thermal head for some reason, or when the printer starts operating. This is to detect defects such as a cassette not being installed. In order to use the ribbon cassette 5 inverted, an insertion hole (not shown) is also provided in the cassette case 7.
Reference numeral 33 denotes a ribbon running guide part, which is designed so that only two protrusions 33a and 33b come into contact with the ribbon in order to reduce the ribbon running resistance.1.゛Because the cassette is used in reverse, the protrusion 33a and 3.3. Reference numerals 34 and 35 are rib position guides, which are arranged so that b' is approximately symmetrical to the left and right.

1. This is to prevent malfunction of the ribbon sensor 32 when slack occurs in the ribbon when the ribbon starts running, when it stops, and when the head presses against and pulls away from one platen roller.

Also, when the ribbon starts running and the thermal head 3 moves to come into contact with the platen roller 1.

Since the thermal head 3 pulls out the ink ribbon 4 at a high speed, the ribbon delivery core 26 rotates too much due to its inertia.
A longer amount of ribbon is discharged from the ribbon delivery core 26 than during steady running. Therefore, the winding amount of the ribbon winding recoa d cannot correspond to the feeding amount, and the ribbon becomes slack. This slack occurs between the ribbon delivery core 26 and the back tension applying section 9. Therefore, the ribbon sensor 32
teeth.

It is provided between the back tension applying section 9 and the thermal head 3 in a location where ribbon sag does not occur, that is, in the ribbon running path. - Next, the structure of the back tension addition part 9 and '36 will be explained using FIG. 12. In FIG. Paste 38. on the other hand\
, A leaf spring 40 is attached using the post 39 as a support shaft, and another friction material such as felt is pasted on the flat surface of the leaf spring 40. Then, the ink ribbon 4 is sandwiched between the friction material 28 and the friction material 41 and installed. At this time, ink ribbon 4
friction materials 38 and 41. If the configuration is such that the width dimension T is set to be larger than 0 or more, even if the ink ribbon 4 tries to shift in the vertical direction, there are contact parts between the friction materials at both ends, so this ribbon This acts as a resistance to misalignment, and can prevent misalignment of the ink ribbon 4 at the back tension applying portion 9 or 36.

1. Also, in FIG. 12, 40a is an ejector pin contact portion provided integrally with the leaf spring 40.

When this portion is pushed in the direction of the arrow W in the figure, the pressing of the friction material by the leaf spring 40 is for releasing the force and releasing the back tension. Note that the above ejecting pin contact portion 40a is attached to the ribbon cassette 5 on the carriage 1.3.
When the is installed 1. It comes into contact with the outer periphery of an ejector pin provided on the carriage to release back tension.

The beauty pin (not shown) of the carriage 13 is.

It is provided at a position to release the back tension of the back tension adding section 36' on the unwinding side. Therefore, as explained in FIG. Tension acts on the ribbon: back tension on one side of the first winding 36
The back tension of ′ has been released.

Therefore, if the same tension is applied to both the back tension adding portions 9 and 36,
In both cases, when the ribbon is traveling forward, and when the ribbon is traveling backwards due to the cassette being reversed, only the back tension on the J delivery side acts, and its magnitude is the same. Stable ribbon running properties can be obtained.
′ □ ,・In the above cassette configuration, the running path of the bonnet is explained as follows.
The ink ribbon 4 unwound from the ribbon delivery core 26 is transferred to the back tension applying section 9. Guide roller 29. Ribbon traveling guide section 33. Thermal head 3. Guide roller 30
．． The ribbon passes through the back tension applying section 36 in order and is wound around the ribbon winding core 6. Next, the configuration of the thermal head 3 and the pressing state of the heat-sensitive head 4, which are related to the features of the present invention, will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a side view of a platen roller in an embodiment of the present invention in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction, and FIG. 2 is a front view of a thermal head 3 in the embodiment. These examples show the case where printing is performed on the upper half of the ink ribbon 4.

A partial glaze layer 3b made of a glass material and having a height of about 30 μm is provided on the surface of the heat-sensitive head 3, and a heating resistor 3a is provided on this layer. The part of this partial glaze 3b layer that supports the heating resistor 3a is provided to prevent the generated heat from escaping directly in front of the thermal head 3 and to increase heat conduction efficiency. , the glaze layers at both ends of the thermal head are provided to prevent the ribbon from breaking due to the edges at both ends of the thermal head 3 when the ink ribbon 4 runs. The structure of the thermal head of this embodiment is as follows.
c is provided. 'If the ribbon pressing protrusion 3C is made of the same material as the partial glaze 3b, it can be easily provided in the same process as forming the partial glaze layer, but of course it can be made of a material other than glass. As shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. The protrusion 3 presses the lower side of the ink ribbon 4.
Press the platen roller 1° and the thermal head 3. 0 to set the relative positions of the three ink ribbons 4
With the above configuration, as described in detail in the summary of the invention, the in-plane tension of the ribbon becomes uniform on the upper and lower sides, the ribbon rises □, no fall occurs, and stable ribbon running is achieved. Performance can be obtained.゛
□Next, a modified example will be explained. FIG. 13 shows the case of printing using the lower half of the ink ribbon 4. I is a front view of the thermal head 60 of FIG. 13. In this case, a ribbon pressing protrusion 60c is provided on the upper part of the heating resistor 60a, and the second heating resistor 60a
At the same time, the lower side of the ink ribbon 4 is pressed, and at the same time, the upper side of the ribbon is pressed by the protrusion Boa. Also, the 15th I! 1 is an example in which the shape of the surface of the ribbon pressing protrusion 3G is adjusted to the curvature of the platen roller 1. In this way, good pressing is achieved by applying force □ Cloth is obtained.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, for configurations in which the center of the ink ribbon width and the center of printing are misaligned, such as in two-stage printing or multi-stage printing on the ink ribbon, the ribbon It is possible to prevent the phenomenon of rising and falling at the head part of the head, resulting in the following effects. (a) Since it is possible to perform two-stage printing or multiple-stage printing on one ink ribbon, the time required to replace the ink ribbon L can be significantly extended, and the running cost of the printer can be significantly reduced. .

This is the biggest advantage for printer users. - (B) The printer configuration is exactly the same as in the case of conventional one-stage printing, only the shape of the thermal head is changed. By doing so, the usable life of the Ji... ivy ribbon can be greatly extended.

can be done, ′ 1 ・(
C) 'The margin for the ribbon width can be reduced for multiple stages and printing, and the problem of transfer omission can be prevented... (D) The ribbon can be wound in an aligned manner, Reduces winding load,
However, it is possible to prevent accidents in which winding is not possible, and the winding tension can be set low, and the shape and dimensions of the carriage itself can be made smaller.゛

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a side view of a thermal transfer printer embodying the present invention in the direction perpendicular to the platen roller axis, Fig. 2 is a front view of the heat-sensitive bottom of Fig. 1, and Figs. 3 to 7 are head views. An explanatory diagram of the rising, falling and falling phenomena of the ink ribbon in Part 8.
The figure shows when printing on the ribbon upper stage. An explanatory diagram of the bond and in-plane tension when the lower row is pressed at the same time, Figure 9 is an external view of a thermal transfer printer, Figure 10 is an internal structural diagram of a ribbon cassette used in the printer, and Figure 11...
The figure is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 10, and a side view, and FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the bagudensimin addition part. Fig. 13 is a side view of an application/modification of the present invention in the axial direction and perpendicular direction to the platen roller, Fig. 14 is a front view of the thermal head shown in Fig. 13, and Fig. 15 is another applied modification. Example:
A side view of the mi platen roller in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction;
・ ・ , 1... Platen roller, 2... Transfer paper, 3... Thermal head 1.3a.
...Heating resistor, 3b...Partial glaze, 3.6...
- The ribbon is pressed at the protrusion, 4... Ink ribbon. 5... Ribbon cassette, 6... Ribbon winding recoa, 13... Carriage, ivy, 26... Su-bon delivery core, 60... Thermal head, 60a... Heat generating resistor Body, 60c... 3rd mouth, '4 [Fl 5th mouth, s, eyes. Part II Part 1, Part 13 Part 74 1!1

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Consisting of a thermal head, a cylindrical platen roller against which the thermal head is pressed, an ink ribbon whose surface is coated with solid ink, a carriage on which the thermal head is mounted and which moves laterally, etc. When using a thermal transfer printer and setting the printing position above the center of the ink ribbon width, the bottom of the ink ribbon is simultaneously pressed against the transfer paper on the platen roller, and conversely, printing is done below the center of the ink ribbon width. A thermal transfer printer characterized in that when the position is set, the upper part of the ink ribbon is simultaneously pressed against the transfer paper on the platen roller. 2. In the thermal transfer printer according to claim 1, the ink ribbon is placed on the surface of the thermal head at a position shifted upward and downward with respect to the heating element mounting portion, and the ink ribbon is placed on the transfer paper on the platen roller. A thermal transfer printer characterized by being provided with a protrusion for pressing against.